Fire extinguishing method and medium



i GUISHING' METHOD AND Heinrich Chemnits, or, a ts, to Biihme FettchemiNo Drawing. kpplioalgon l rial No. 753,406. 1938 12 1 Hit This inventionrelates to fire extinguishing agents and more particularly to the foamproducing type of fire extg medium, where-l by the combustible materialmay be smothered by a blanket of foam. It is the principal object of theinvention to provide a medium or this character which is inexpensive toproduce and which will be effective for the extinguishing of fire inmaterials not readily controlled'by fire extinguishing media heretoforedeveloped.

Thus it is a further object of the invention to provide a medium whichwill foam freely and A which will effectively blanket and smother thecombustion of alcoholic fluids. It is a feature of the invention thatthe medium forms a foam in which the gaseous agent is principally air,prior air foam producing media being rendered ineflective by thealcohols.

It is a more specific object of the invention to provide a fireextinguishing medium comprising a mixture of a fluid with a quaternaryhigh molecular ammonium salt or the corresponding phosphonium andsulphonium compounds. Quaternary high molecular ammonium salts, whichcontain long aliphatic chains or cycloaliphatic or aromatic radicals assubstituents, are found to produce a dense foam film, completely stableto alcohols, and indestructible even when contacted with the hot wallsof a tank containing burning alcohol, affording a positive guaranty oirapid and complete extinction of all fires in liquids an? particularlyin liquids of an alcoholic charac er.

The extinguishing of alcoholic fires by chemical foam producing methods,for instance by the development of a foam blanket in which the gas phaseof the foam consists of carbon dioxide or other noncombustible gas, arenot only defective and dangerous but very expensive. In accordance withthe present invention fires can be effectively ext i l by means 01 airfoam produced by an ordinary foam generator or foam D D Emmpie I IBattling, Chemmar 18, 1934, Se-

r o-1.1 No 18,

compounds, containing for instance amino groups, halogen atoms, estergroups, or ether groups in the aliphatic chain. Similarly, quaternaryammonium compounds which are not derived from heterocyclic nitrogenbases, but from aliphatic, cyclo-ali'phatic, aromatic, or even mixedtertiary amines, as well as the corresponding phosphonium and sulphoniumcompounds, may be employed.

While the quaternary high molecular ammonium compounds and particularlythose derived from heterocyclic nitrogen bases, such as pyridin forexample, are of special importance by reason of the fact that they arereadily accessible,

numerous other compounds of the character hereinbefore indicated havebeen found effective. Thus the following specific compounds, and thefluid mixtures and aqueous solutions thereof, 'will produce a denseblanket of foam suitable for the extinguishing fires of an alcoholicorigin: I

Tetr'adecyl, hexadecyl, andocta-decyl pyridinium sulfate, undecenyl,dodecyl, tetradecyl, octadecyl, octadecenyl chinolium sulfate, decylpyridinium bromide, hexadecenyi chin'olinium iodide,-quaternary ammoniumcompounds derived from asymmetrical o1eyl-diethyl--.ethvlenediamine byaddition of dimethyl sulfate or diethyl sulfate or methyl iodide, decylphosphonium iodide, dodecyl phosphonium bromide, tetradecyl phosphoniumbromide, octadecenyl phosphonium iodide, dodecyl sulphonium iodide,octadecyl sulphoniun /br'omide, heptyl-i-urea bromide, decyli-thioureaiodide, hexadecyl-i-thiourea iodide, the addition products of tetradecylbromide or dodecyl iodide to hexamethylenetetramine, heptyl guanidine,tolyl guanidine, the quaternary ammonium compound prepared by theaddition of the dodecyl ether of a-glycerine bromhydrine"CnHaaCHmOSHaCHOI-LCHaBr to pyridin, the

of fires, especially" quaternary ammonium compound formed by theaddition of bromine-acetic acid dodecyl ester Br- CHaCOQCHaCnI-ha tochinoline.

Example 2 A solution of 600 grams of hexadecyl triethyl phosphoniumbromide in 100 liters of water mixed with 10 liters of glycerol isdischarged by a foam generator onto the burning object.

Example 3 A summon of: 500 grams decyl dimethyl sulfonium iodide in 100liters of water is discharged by a foam pipe onto the burning object.

Example 4 500 grams of the quaternary ammonium compound prepared by theaddition the hexadecyl ether of a-glycerine chlorhydrin to pyridin aredissolved in 500 liters of water and this solution is mixed with 500liters of carbon tetrachloride.

The mixture is discharged onto the burning object by a foam generator.

Other, preferably non-combustible liquids than water can be mixed withor employed as a solvent for the active medium, for instance carbontetrachloride, perchlorethane and like halogenated hydrocarbons.Additions 0! alcohols, especially of glycerol, are often suitable forpreventing freezing of the fire-extinguishing agents at lowtemperatures.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desiredto be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A method of extinguishing fire in alcoholic material which comprisescovering the burning material with foam produced by a mixture of liquidand a compound selected from the group consisting of high molecularquaternary ammonium, phosphonium and sulphonium compounds.

2. A method of extinguishing fire in alcoholic material which comprisescovering the burning material with foam produced by a mixture of waterand lauryl pyridinium sulphate.

3. A fire extinguishing medium comprising a mixture of liquid and acompound selected from the group consisting of high molecular quaternary ammonium, phosphonium and sulphonium compounds.

4. A fire extinguishing medium comprising amlxture of water and acompound selected from the group consisting of high molecular quarter'-aisasea nary ammonium, phosphonium and sulphonium compounds.

5. A fire extinguishing medium comprising a high molecular quaternaryammonium compound selected from the group consisting of pyridinium,quinolinium, and isoquinolinium salts.

6. A fire extinguishing medium comprising a solution of a quaternaryammonium salt of the general formula R-NER:

wherein R is an aliphatic radical containing not less than eight carbonatoms in a continuous chain, X is a halogen atom or 0SO:H or NO: and NR:is a pyridine or a quinoline.

'7. A medium for extinguishing fire comprising 4 an aqueous solution ofa substance selected from the group consisting of high molecularquaternary ammonium, phosphonium and sulphonium compounds.

8. A fire extinguishing medium comprising an aqueous solution of a highmolecular quaternary ammonium compound.

9. A fire extinguishing medium comprising an aqueous solution of apyridinium salt.

10. A fire extinguishing medium comprising an aqueous solution of laurylPyridinium sulphate.

11. A method of extinguishing fire which comprises producing acombustion smothering foam with a mixture of water and a. pyridiniumcompound.

12. An alcoholic combustion extinguishing mixture comprising water and afoam producing medium including a quaternary ammonium com-.

pound selected from the group consisting of compounds derived fromaliphatic, armomatic and mixed tertiary amines.

HEINRICH BERTSCH.

